Perhaps the most startling element of Hilary Benn’s speech was his appeal to the Labour Party’s “internationalism”. “He reminded me of taking us into the Iraq war and I am always anxious that the greatest oratory can lead us to the greatest mistakes as well”.
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But he criticised the Momentum pressure group, which was founded by supporters of Mr Corbyn in an attempt to push Labour to the left.
Hove MP Peter Kyle was one of 66 Labour MPs who voted with the government to launch airstrikes in Syria.
And in a speech which was, at times, delivered in scarcely more than a whisper to a rapt House of Commons, he told Labour “we never have and we never should walk by on the other side of the road”.
The North Durham MP, who also voted for strikes, says MPs are losing patience with the leader and says “it is not about right or left” political leanings.
The former London mayor, who is co-chairing a review of Labour defence policy, told LBC: “If I had an MP who had voted to bomb Syria then I would be prepared to support someone to challenge him”.
“They look like a bit of a rabble to me, but I don’t think they are a problem for the Labour Party”, he told Radio 4’s Today programme. “To say they should be subjected to a witch-hunt or a campaign against them is wrong”.
Britain’s opposition Labour Party, racked by growing internal divisions, has confounded opinion pollsters by winning a crucial parliamentary by-election.
“They hold our belief in tolerance and decency in contempt”. ‘What we have in Momentum is a campaigning organisation, ‘ he said.
In an email to Labour members on Thursday, Mr Corbyn and Mr Watson called for debate over the party’s direction to be carried out in a ” more civil and more respectful” way.
“If you joined the Labour Party and use that sort of language on either side of the argument, you shouldn’t be in the party”.
“It is quite clear that Jeremy Corbyn is the party leader in the country”.
“Isis are devils and we should attack them and this attack is a positive step, but what is important is the strategy of these attacks”. The paper selectively quoted shadow chancellor John McDonnell to make him appear as if he “seemed to be preparing for a majority of less than 1,000”. “She is an excellent MP and she has my support”.
Jarvis, like Benn and others, also penned a long op-ed about why he is defying his party’s leader.
But as it stands, there’s zero evidence to support this, and Jeremy Corbyn even took to Facebook to assure his party members that there won’t be professional repercussions for the decisions they made on the 2nd December.
“Both would be key positions, but the electorate would be voting on the parliamentary team as an alternative government”.
There is, of course, one big difference between Iraq and Syria.
Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond praised Mr Benn as he began his concluding remarks.
Mr Corbyn opposed strikes while Mr Watson backed the action against Islamic State.
The speech was credited with swaying the votes of a number of undecided MPs in favour of action in Syria.
“Unfortunately, some of the people who pretend they act in his name and some of those who have surrounded him are doing things that he finds fundamentally unacceptable and they should respect his views as well as those of ordinary people in Britain who just don’t think that this kind of behaviour is acceptable”. “Jeremy has repeated that there is no place in the party for abuse nearly every single day”, the source said.
Asked whether David Cameron was concerned about reports of MPs being bullied, a Downing Street spokesman said: “The Prime Minister’s key view on this is it’s fundamental that MPs are able to express their views and set out their positions in the House on issues of great importance such as the debate we had yesterday”.
“Stop the War will continue to hold to democratic account all those MPs who vote for war”. It is not clear whether the man is connected to Momentum.
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A free vote means that MPs are allowed to vote their conscience rather than along party lines.
